it for the night, who was watching it,
and how secure it was as to make sure
it was always there for the next day’s
ride - it was our horse! My worries
were real, but with a bit of care, all
would be good.
The next few days were spent in
this incredible village like no other,
exploring the rock-hewn churches
that were literally chiseled from the
rock in the ground. We asked a local
guide how long it took to manage this
incredible feat and we were told only
one year. When we questioned this,
we were informed that it was easy as
the angels, from the heavens, helped
complete the task in this short time.
Remaining in the highlands, we
moved north near the border of South
Sudan and visited Lake Tana and then
to the birthplace of the powerful Nile
River, The Blue Nile. We had luck on
our trip from a very full Falls, appear-
ing like chocolate dropping into a rag-
ing river below on its ultimate desti-
nation through Ethiopia, Sudan, and
Egypt into the ultimate destination of
the Mediterranean Sea.
After spending time in the capital
city and seeing one of the largest out-
door markets of the world, the Mer-
cato, we headed to the south of the
country into the tribal areas. I can
say it was here that Ethiopia made its
TRAVERSE 66
indelible print upon us in meeting in-
credible people, awesome landscapes,
and phenomenal direct experiences
with the varied cultures of the Omo
Valley. We camped in a tent for sev-
eral nights in a small village with the
local tribes’ people who would tell
stories, sing to us, and share their life
experiences – all in a language that
we did not understand in words, but
we experienced a great deal through
their actions. A powerful, but dra-
matic, experience was the bull jump-
ing ceremony where the young man
makes himself available for marriage
through a series of challenges ending
with his naked run across the backs of
a set of bulls all lined-up in a row. We
were told the government is attempt-
ing to ban this from the tourist as it
does involve some painful practices
for those involved.
Although it was difficult to leave
Ethiopia after our new-found fond-
ness, time was ticking and I was look-
ing forward to meeting my son, and a
few other friends, in Cape Town after
Christmas – far away in time yet also
the vast distances of the large African
continent.
Leaving southern Ethiopia’s Omo
Valley was technically quite chal-
lenging as the rain had mud-soaked
the roads, leaving only deep muddy
tracks to navigate as well as many
water crossings of unknown depths.
More than once, we waited for a large
truck to pass first to gauge how deep
the water was and the strength of the
currents. Waiting for the water to sub-
side was a double-edge decision as
the water could increase or decrease
in depth and strength. Finally a deci-
sion would need to be made to give it a
go! We successfully passed our largest
water crossing and were moving south
again.
Riding into northern Kenya, and
its moonscape terrain, was one I had
read many stories and of the challeng-
es that lay ahead. But, alas, it was not
so.
One thing that was happening in